The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-07-01

love the girl for her likeness to her mother.
The boy never loved to this hour cannot
like him, though he is gentleman, which his
father never was. / can, however, honestly
say that have done my duty by him 1have
told you all this in order that you may un-
derstand the request which I am going to
make. l trust 10 you never to speak of IL,
and, il you can, TO forget it. And now for
the request itself"
Ernest looked up wonderingly.
at is my most earnest desire that you
should marry Dorothy"
His listener started violently, turned quite
pale, and opened his lips TO speak. Mr. Car
dus lifted his hand and went on:
Remember what l asked you. Pray say
nothing; only listen. OF course | cannot
force you into this or any other marriage. l
can only beg you to give heed TO my wishes,
knowing that they will in every way prove TO
your advantage. That girl has heart of
gold; and If you marry her you shall inherit
nearly all my fortune, which is now very
large. have observed that you have lately
been about a great deal with Eva Ceswick.
She is n handsome woman, and very likely
she has taken some hold upon your fancy. l
warn you that any ENHANCEMENT in that di-
rection would be most disagreeable to me, and
poets so far as l am concerned"
Again Ernest was about to speak, and again
his uncle stopped him.
"I want no condolences, Ernest, and had
much rather that no words passed between us
that we might afterward regret. And now I
understand that you are going abroad with
your friend Batty for a couple of months
When you return you shall give me your
answer about Dorothy. In the meanwhile
here is a check for your expenses; what is
over you can spend as you like. Perhaps you
have some bills to pay"
He gave him folded check, and then went
on:
"Now leave me, as 1 am busy"
Ernest walked out of the room in n perfect
maze. In the yard he mechanically unfolded
the check. 1t was for a large sum-g25O.
He put it in his pocket and began to reflect
upon his position, which was about as painful
| as position can well be. Truly he was on
the horns of a dilemma; probably before he
was much older one of them would have
| pierced him. For a moment he was about to
| return to his uncle and tell him all the truth,
but on reflection he could not see what was to
| be gained by such course AT any rate it
seemed to him that he must first consult Eva,
whom he had arranged to meet on the beach
at 3 o'clock; there was nobody else whom he
could consult, for he was shy of talking about
| Eva to Jeremy or Dolly.
The rest of that morning went very i'll
for Ernest but 3 o'clock came at last and
found him at the trysting place.
| About a mile on the further side of Kester-
wick, that is, two miles or so from Titheburg
Abbey, the cliff iutted out into the sea in a
way that corresponded very curiously with
the little promontory known as Dum's Ness,
| tha ne -, Al ,
the waves being that it was at this spot COM
posed of an up crop of rock of more durable
nature than the sandstone and pebbles of the
remainder of the line of cliff. Just at the
point of this promontory the waves had worn a
hollow In the rock that was locally dignifed by
the name of the cave. For two hours or more
at high tide this hollow was under water, and
it was, therefore, impossible to pass the head
land except by boat; but during the rest of
the day it formed a convenient grotto OF
trysting place, the more so as anybody sitting
in it was quite invisible either from the beach
the cliff above, or, indeed, unless the boat
was quite close in shore, the sea in front
Here it was that Ernest had arranged to
meet Eva, and on turning the rocky corner
of the cave he found her sitting on a mass OF
fallen rock waiting for him. At the sight OF
her beautiful form he forgot all his troubles
and when rising to greet him, bushing like
dawn, she lifted her pure face for him to kiss
there was not happier lad in England
Then she made room for him beside her-tht
rock was just wide enough for two-and hi
placed his arm round her waist, and for {
minute or two she laid her head upon hi
shoulder, and they were very happy
"You are early" he said at last.
"Yes; | wanted to get away from Forenc,
and have good think. You have no idet
how unpleasant she is she seems to know
everything. For instance, she knew that w
went out sailing together last evening, fo
this morning at breakfast she said in the mos
cheerful way that she hoped that l enjoyet
my moonlight sail last night"
"The deuce she did and what did you sayl
II said that | enjoyed it very much, AM
luckily my aunt did not take any notice"
"Why did you not say at once that we wer
engagedl We are engaged, you know"
"Yes-that is, suppose so."
Suppose sol There is no supposition abou
it. AT least, if we are not engaged, what ar
wer
swell, you see, Ernest, it sounds so absur
to say that one is engaged to boyl low
you, Ernest, love you dearly, but how can
say that am engaged to you"
Ernest rose in great wrath II tell yo
what it is, Eva, if l am not good enough t
acknowledge, l am not good enough to hav
anything to do with. A boy, indeed | al
one-and-twenty; that is full age Contour
it ALL you are always talking about my bein
so young just as though could not get oil
fast enough. Can't you wait for me yea
or two" he asked, with tears of mortificatio
| in his eyes.
30 Ernest, Ernest, do be reasonable, there
a dear; what is the good of getting angr
and making me wretchedi Come and S
down here, dear, and tell me, am not wort
a little patiencel There is not the slighte
possibility, so far as | can see, of our gettin
married at present; SO the question is, if it
of any Use to trumpet an engagement thu
will only make us the object of great de-
of gossip, and which, perhaps, your unc
I would not lie"
"Oh, by Jovel" he said, "that reminds me
I and sitting down beside her again he told ht
the story of the interview with his uncle 81
listened in silence.
; "This is all very bad" she said when he he
finished.
) "Yes, 1t is bad enough; but what is to
r donel"
5 "There is nothing to be done at present"
"Shall make clean breast of it to him
: "No, no, not now; it will only make ma
| tiers worse. We must wait dear. You mu
go abroad for a couple Of months, as you h,
arranged, and then when you come back '
: must see what can be arranged"
= "But, my dearest, cannot bear TO lea
| you; it makes my heart ache TO think of il
: "Dear, l know that it is hard; but 1t mu
q be done. You could not stop here now ve
: well without speaking about our-our e
= gagement, and to do that would only be
. bring your uncle's anger on you. No, y,
9 had better go away Ernest, and meanwh
}, will try to get into Mr. Cardus' good grac,
r and if fail then when you come back,
/; must agree upon some plan. Perhaps by th
time you win take your unclc's view OF t
matter and want to marry Dorothy, S
v would make you better wife than l sha
y Ernest, my dear"
u Eva, how can you say such things-it
n not kind of you,n
d "Oh, why notl 1t is true, Oh, yes, l knt
!, that am better looking, and that is WI
r you men always think Of, but she has me
|. brains, more fiXity of mind, and, perhal
a for all / know, more heart than | hay
It though, for the matter Of that, / feel as il
d was all heart just now. Really, Ernest, y
u had better transfer you allegiance. Give
a ap, and forget me, dear; it will save y
much trouble. know that there Is trou
70 coming; it is in the air, Better marry
IA rothy, and leave me to fight my sorrow
alone. will release you, Ernest and
:, began TO cry at the bare idea.
Il shall wait 10 give you up until you hs
u given me up" said Ernest. when he |
~ found means to stop her tears; "and, MS
y 40 forgetting you, can never do that. Plea